The first major Hearthstone expansion card set has been announced: Goblins vs Gnomes! Blizzard revealed it in the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2014!

The expansion will add over 120 new cards, including a new minion type called Mech that various cards will act on, and is coming out December 2014! Check out the logo and the officially revealed cards below!

Cards

Game Board

It will also include a great new board:

Desktop Wallpaper

We've also got the new key art for it conveniently resized for use as a desktop wallpaper! Click below to check it out:

Blizzard's Announcement

Powering up and exploding onto the scene: Goblins vs Gnomes, Hearthstone’s first expansion, has been officially EXPLODING revealed today at BlizzCon!

Expand-o-Matic 5000!

Goblins vs Gnomes throws players smack dab in the middle of a rivalry between cunning goblin engineers and their eternally-tinkering gnome counterparts. These pint-size foes don’t always have the upper hand over the myriad mechanical contraptions they cook up, and the results can be . . . unpredictable.

Over 120 New Cards

The expansion brings a slew of brand-new cards that are ready to wreak a wealth of mechanized havoc on your opponent: Our own tinkerers and explosives aficionados have assembled over 120 new cards that will be sure to throw a wrench in your opponent’s gears—literally. Check out a few of the wild and wacky inventions that have been engineered for your collection below!

Meet the Mechs

The new expansion brings with it an all-new minion type—Mechs. Much like the Alarm-o-Bot and Harvest Golem, these quirky contraptions have been built to pack a creative spring-loaded punch to your game. Goblins vs Gnomes will introduce both neutral and class-specific Mechs, so prepare for things to get interesting*!

Big Trouble, Little Packages

Stirring up trouble this December for Windows®, Mac®, and iPad®, Goblins vs Gnomes cards will be available by purchasing Goblins vs Gnomes-specific card packs in the in-game shop with either gold or real money, whichever you prefer (same pricing as expert card packs). As with Curse of Naxxramas, Goblins vs Gnomes cards will be made available in your Arena picks as soon as the cards have been released; even if you haven’t added them to your personal collection!

Prepare (Your Kneecaps) for Battle!

We hope you enjoyed this early look at Hearthstone’s first expansion—Goblins vs Gnomes. Stay tuned for further details right here on our brand new Goblins vs Gnomes page here! Keep an eye out** for the expansion in December!

*We take no responsibility for damages if things get too “interesting”.

**Please wear safety goggles at all times when engaging with Goblins or Gnomes.

BlizzCon Fireside Chat Recap

At today's fireside chat we saw a discussion of players using skill to handle randomness, which ties in well with the many new random effects in the Goblins vs Gnomes cards. They then talked about why they chose to go with Goblins vs Gnomes for their first expansion, showed off the board, and some of the cards we'll be seeing in it. A lot of the cards play off or effect minions categorized as a "Mech", and even old cards like Harvest Golem and Mechanical Dragonling are now Mech minions. The cards in the expansion will be purchasable just like normal card packs, and the cards can be crafted with the same Arcane Dust as current cards.

Spectator mode has also finally gotten a preview. You'll be able to jump in and spectate games of players in your friends list and view it from their perspective, and they'll be able to see that you're spectating. It will also have support for spectating multiple players at once so you can see both of their hands for games such as in tournaments.

Check out Blizzard's complete recap below!

If you haven’t heard, the first expansion for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft will feature the zany, brainy, delightfully surprising chaos that inevitably occurs whenever there’s a contest of wits between Azeroth’s most diminutive denizens: it’s Goblins vs Gnomes!

Hearthstone senior game designer Ben Brode, game director Eric Dodds, and senior producer Yong Woo took to the panel stage on Saturday to talk shop about Goblins vs Gnomes, and what we can expect when we get our mitts on the new expansion once it’s released.

Senior Game Designer Ben BrodeBen kicked off the panel to discuss Hearthstone’s first year with some interesting stats, ranging from what are the ‘best’ and worst’ cards in Hearthstone, a bit of a post-mortem on Curse of Naxxramas (pun intended), and the role that randomness plays in games (including Hearthstone), which is what we’ll focus on here.

Randomness and YouRandomness has been the source of much ire in the Hearthstone community. Whether it’s seeing an opponent draw the perfect card at just the right moment to foil our plans, or Tinkmaster Overspark turning an opposing minion into a Devilsaur when we really need a chicken, randomness can be frustrating. We’ve all had a moment when we felt like we played masterfully, only to have victory snatched away by a single moment of bad luck. It’s easy to feel like the existence of any randomness in a game means that skill matters less.

Take a look at this graph, where games of pure luck where there is no skill required are on the left, and games that are purely skill-based with no random elements are on the right. Many players feel that Hearthstone, and all games for that matter, falls somewhere along this spectrum:

In reality, that graph is totally misleading because the relationship between luck and skill doesn’t work like that. Luck and skill are independent, and a given game can have different amounts of each. The real situation looks more like this:

Every game you can win or lose falls somewhere on a graph like this. Tic-tac-toe has no randomness, but it also requires almost no skill. There is no Tic-tac-toe world championship, because once you know “the strategy” every game ends in a tie. Some games that are extremely luck-based (like Monopoly) very rarely have moments where you can exercise your superior skill to win.

Chess is a classic example of a game that includes a lot of skill and no randomness. However, at the highest levels games like this often require massive amounts of memorization, since games often play out in the same way. Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest Chess players of all time, actually proposed randomizing the back row of pieces to help solve this problem with high-level Chess!

That leaves the games that feature both high randomness and high skill. Games like Poker . . . and Hearthstone! While any particular hand of Poker is random, the best players still win consistently, and Hearthstone is no different. Look at players like Kolento, who place highly in tournaments over and over again.

Games in this high-randomness, high-skill category have two really cool attributes. First, you are constantly presented with novel situations. If every game of Hearthstone was like the last, it would be easy to memorize a game plan and just execute it over and over again. Instead, randomness makes it necessary be quick thinking and solve new problems in every game. A Hearthstone game is more than one turn, and to win consistently, a player must act and react to changing circumstances turn after turn to make the most of what is happening in a match and set up a victory. In this case, randomness actually increases the amount of skill required to perform well, precisely because it can throw a wrench in our plans and forces us to think on our feet.

The second great thing about this type of game is the frequency of awesome player stories. When you need one specific minion to win a Brawl or you lose, and BOOM: It all goes down exactly right—your Armorsmith survives and you manage to turn the game around with an incredible play! That’s a great story! Randomness increases the excitement and frequency of these memorable events.

This combination of novel scenarios and crazy player stories is a huge part of what makes Hearthstone a TON of fun.

Game Director Eric DoddsGame Director Eric Dodds then took to the stage to talk about the new Hearthstone expansion: Goblins vs Gnomes!

A Hearthstone Expansion!?That’s right! An expansion! Over 120 cards packed with Goblin and Gnomish awesomeness. Need something blown up . . . or transmogrified . . . or flattened by a gigantic, ridiculous, smoke-spewing engine of destruction? You need look no further, the mayhem has arrived!

Sounds Great! But Why Goblins vs Gnomes?There was definitely some discussion before the Hearthstone team settled on Goblins vs Gnomes for the first expansion. First, the team looked at where Hearthstone had already been. The first Hearthstone Adventure, The Curse of Naxxramas, took place in Kel’thuzad’s dread, dank, and dark necropolis: Naxxramas. The team injected Naxxramas with a healthy dose of snarky fun using a Grobbulus-sized syringe, but at its heart, Naxxramas is still a pretty serious place about creepy undead stuff with a doom-and-gloom theme.

The team wanted to do something very different for the first Hearthstone expansion. Something more light-hearted, colorful, and a little zany. And, as always, it had to be FUN! Goblins and Gnomes are famous for their wonderful inventions, and they also have a unique way of inspiring passion! Some people love them and all that they do. Some people would rather see them all zapped by their own creations. Whether these diminutive demolitionists are your favorite thing and you play them every chance you get, or the pint-sized puntables are your first target for total annihilation, Goblins vs Gnomes has something for everyone! Goblins vs Gnomes cards are packed with crazy creations that will expand player deck options in huge, delightfully surprising ways.

Of course the REAL reason we went with Goblins vs. Gnomes is the song:

Goblin FuryGoblins are known for their business acumen and their love of big explosions, and definitely not in that order. At the heart of Goblin engineering lies a deep, overwhelming desire to see things explode. Sure, ideally that means the enemy, but that’s not what you’d call a strict requirement. As long as someone is getting blown up, then your average Goblin will be happy.

For Gnomeregan!Conversely, what Gnomes do, they do FOR SCIENCE! While Gnomish inventions are less likely to leave smoking craters, they are significantly more likely to turn innocent bystanders into poultry. In fact, it seems like a lot of Gnomish engineering is a combination of the wackiest technology imaginable and a hefty dose of ‘turning-things-into-other-things probably-by-accident.’ Odds are, rather than blowing something up, a Gnomish invention will usually just leave the unfortunate target wishing they’d been blown up.

Battlefield TechnologyWhile they’re often at odds, Goblins and Gnomes combined their engineering know-how to crank out a brand new board for Hearthstone: Goblins vs Gnomes. While the technology has proven too disastrously unstable to allow operation at BlizzCon, you can be sure that when Gnomes vs Goblins arrives, the devices scattered around the edges of this board will be working spectacularly in ways that probably bear absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to what was originally intended.

Mechanically SpeakingWhile Goblins and Gnomes are at the heart of this particular contest, the real stars of the show are the crazed mechanical creations that they’ve built. Goblins vs Gnomes brings with it a new mechanical minion type: Mechs. Many of the new cards are Mechs, or interact with Mechs in interesting ways. Each class also has its own Mech-based cards that help ensure that making a deck featuring Mechs prominently will be viable, and that they’ll fit well even in non-Mech focused decks. Some old favorites that clearly have been Mechs all along now have a shiny Mech type bolted onto their cards as well. Finally, and possibly most importantly: GIANT ROBOTS!

EJECT! EJECT!Of course, not all Mechs are automatons. Some Mechs have pilots, and when the Mech is destroyed, the pilot hits the big shiny red eject button, parachutes onto the field, and carries on the fight! Usually that’s a lower cost minion than the original Mech, but Sneed left his old shredder behind when he was defeated in the Deadmines, and only a Legendary minion could possibly master those controls. Of course, which Legendary minion was in the cockpit varies wildly. It could be Lorewalker Cho . . . or it could be Ragnaros! Sure, Rags might have some trouble scrunching down into the pilot’s seat, but don’t overthink it. All things are possible WITH SCIENCE!

Got A Spare?Goblins and Gnomes love tinkering. A thing isn’t good until it’s been bettered with a few engineering “improvements”. That love of tinkering is reflected in Goblins vs Gnomes with Spare Parts cards. These 1 mana spells are acquired in a variety of ways, and playing those cards lets players improve an existing minion just a little bit, or maybe inconvenience their opponent at a critical moment. While they can’t be added directly to a deck, a random Spare Part can often be acquired when certain minions join the fray, or are dismantled, leaving useful bits and bobs in the crater where they used to stand.

Magnificent MayhemOf course, other cards will also be added that aren’t Mechs, Goblins, or Gnomes. To give you a taste of what we mean, we submit the Warrior’s Bouncing Blade spell in the “Only a Goblin would think this is a good idea” category:

The Best Deals Anywhere!So how do you bolt Goblins vs Gnomes fun onto your collection? You’ll be able to get Goblins vs Gnomes packs for the same cost (in either gold or real money) as the existing Expert Hearthstone packs. If you’re already sitting on a hefty stockpile of dust, then you’re in luck! You can also craft Goblins vs Gnomes cards for the same dust costs—based on rarity—as the current cards. Just wait until you see what happens when you open a Goblins vs Gnome pack!

Senior Producer Yong WooOn the subject of seeing, Yong Woo took to the stage to talk about another exciting feature that will be arriving alongside Goblins vs. Gnomes. . .

It’s Better With FriendsOne of the things that we realized early on while working on Hearthstone is that it’s a game that is just as much fun to watch as it is to play! Whenever one of us is in a really good game, the whole team will gather around to watch, talk about Hearthstone, and chat about cards and deck concepts.

It’s a really great experience, and it’s one of our favorite ways to play Hearthstone: surrounded by friends. It’s also the reason why we’re so excited when Fireside Gatherings bring players together to play face-to-face and hang out. Of course, sometimes your friends can’t be in the same room. Sometimes they’re not even on the same continent! That’s one of the things we love about the Blizzard community: we’re always making friends from around the world.

With that in mind, we’ve been working hard on another feature. It might be the number one most requested feature since the release of Hearthstone. . .

That’s right! We’ve been working to make Spectator Mode a reality. You will soon be able to watch your friend’s games as if they were sitting right next to you when the explosives start flying in Goblins vs Gnomes!

Sounds Great! But How Does It Work?After Goblins vs Gnomes comes out, when you bring up your Friends list, you’ll see a new Spectate button next to your friends who are playing games. We wanted to make using Spectator Mode as easy as walking behind your friend’s computer, so watching their game is as simple as clicking the Spectate button!

Once you’re watching your friend’s game, it’s almost as though you’re sitting in front of their computer. You can watch them hover over their cards and minions as they ponder their next move. You can see them point their targeting arrow and follow along with their thought process. You can even see the emotes the players are using. It really feels as though you’re playing the game, but there’s a Spectator Mode indicator on the bottom-left corner to remind you that you’re just watching, so no matter how badly you might want you, you can’t take over when your friend misses lethal!

On the other hand, as a spectator, you have full control over what you’re looking at. As the game progresses, you can hover over cards and minions to get full card text and the details on buffs, and you can also check out the history to see what happened before you started watching!

We Love An Audience!When someone is spectating your game, you’ll see an indicator on the bottom left to let you know that you’ve got company. It will show you how many of your friends are watching, and who they are. And of course, if you’d rather not have spectators, you can set Spectator Mode to invitation only, and even ‘kick’ unwanted spectators from your game.

We’ve received a lot of requests for a good way to cast a match between two players without having to stitch together multiple streams, so we also wanted Spectator Mode to be useful for casting tournaments. So, Spectator Mode will support spectating two players at the same time. You’ll be able to view both players’ hands, and casters will be able to keep tabs on both players from within a single Hearthstone client.

That’s All. . . For Now!That’s all these Hearthstone heroes had for us at BlizzCon, but you can be sure that there’s more exciting Goblins vs. Gnomes gnews coming before its release this December, so keep your goggles soot-free and keep those transmitters pointed in this direction to stay tuned!

It’s the New Year, and 2014 is going to be a big one for World of Warcraft. This November marks the game’s 10-year anniversary and the 20-year anniversary of the entire Warcraft series. We’re looking forward to celebrating these milestones with everyone, but in the meantime, we’ve got a few Warlords of Draenor–related updates to share. Preparing for Battle At BlizzCon, we laid out our plans to send you into battle against some of the biggest and baddest enemies in Warcraft history. While the Iron Horde gears up for war on Draenor, back here on earth we’re making preparations for the expansion’s upcoming closed beta test. If you’d like to be considered, now’s a great time to make sure you’re opted in to Warcraft betas and that the hardware specs in your Beta Profile are up to date. (Full instructions can be found here.) Report from the Front Lines From the outset, players will find themselves hurled into a chaotic conflict with the Iron Horde at a new Dark Portal on Draenor. The situation for Azeroth is grim, and the war effort needs heroes—from new recruits to retired champions to warriors still tending wounds earned at the Siege of Orgrimmar. To get everyone straight to the action, when you buy the expansion, it will come with a boost to level 90 for one character on your WoW account. We’re getting ready to test the functionality for that on the PTR, and we wanted to provide a quick update on how it will work with the upcoming expansion presales.

Warlords of Draenor will be available for pre-purchase digitally Soon™, and we’re once again planning to have standard digital and Digital Deluxe versions (along with a physical Collector’s Edition—more on that at a later date). This time, if you pre-purchase the Digital Deluxe edition you’ll get your exclusive World of Warcraft pet and mount right away, allowing you to bring a little bit of Draenor past into Azeroth present.

In addition, when you pre-purchase either digital version, we’re going to grant you your level-90 boost at the time of pre-purchase. That’s a little different from the plan we laid out at BlizzCon, but based on the feedback, it’s obvious that many of you would like the chance to get acquainted with a new class before heading into the expansion. This will also give more players the opportunity to experience the current end-game content and the events leading up to Garrosh’s exodus to Draenor. Maybe you’ll get your Legendary cloak from Wrathion and level 90–100 Heirloom weapon in the process.​ Bolster the Ranks We’ve also heard feedback from players that they’d be interested in boosting multiple characters to 90, including alts they play with friends on other factions and realms. We’ve been evaluating ways to make that possible without having players go through roundabout methods (such as purchasing multiple boxes and performing multiple character transfers), and in the near future we’ll be testing out a feature that gives you the option to purchase a character upgrade directly. We’ll have more information to share later—including details on our character-upgrade plans for Asian regions where players don’t buy expansion boxes—but you’ll start seeing pieces of the process soon on the PTR, so keep an eye out.

We’re looking forward to the closed beta test, and we’re excited we’re able to give players their character boost immediately upon pre-purchasing—hopefully that will help tide you over while you’re waiting for the epic battle for Draenor to begin. Stay tuned for more information on presales and our beta plans, and we hope you’ll join in and help us test this stuff out when it hits the PTR.

Blizzard posted a lengthy blog covering all the changes to gear in Warlords of Draenor--broken down into two subcategories, Armor and Non Armor. Click the cut for the full blog, or check out our summary below:

Armor

Your gear for armor slots (helms, shoulders, etc) changes primary stats and set bonuses based on your spec. There is no "strength plate" or "intellect plate"--simply plate that changes based on your role. Gear for these primary armor slots will always contain Stamina and Armor, as well as either Agility/Intellect/Strength based on your spec.

Secondary stats for armor will remain unchanged when switching between specs (crit, mastery, haste). Hit, expertise, dodge, and parry are removed completely, and spirit and bonus armor no longer appear on armor pieces.

New secondary stats, in addition to crit, mastery, haste: Amplify, Multistrike, and Readiness. Readiness increases the cooldown recovery rate of some abilities, Multistrike gives separate chances to hit each target an additional time for 30% damage, and Amplify increases your crit damage multiplier, multistrike damage multiplier, and secondary stats by a percentage.

Warforged-inspired gear is continuing in WoD, where there are three ways players can get an item that is better than expected: higher ilvl (similar to current Warforged), an additional gem socket, and the presence of a bonus tertiary stat. Right now, there's a 10% chance an item has one of these three augmentations--so getting one with all three is very small.

Tertiary stats are a new type of stat: Leech (heal on damage dealt), Inspiration (heal on damage received), Cleave (extra damage to additional targets), Sturdiness (reduced durability damage), Speed (movement speed), and Avoidance (reduced area effect damage taken). We already saw some of this with Siege of Orgrimmar trinkets like Juggernaut's Focusing Crystal for Lifesteal and Frenzied Crystal of Rage for Cleave. It will take a while to farm up a complete "set" and may not be on every piece of gear. These are also considered bonus stats and aren't part of an item's regular stat budget.

Non-Armor

Gear that is not considered armor (Weapons, Rings, Cloak, Necklace, and Trinkets) operates differently for primary and secondary stats. Instead of Agility/Intellect/Strength on non-armor, there will be Attack Power or Spell Power to have a broader appeal. Weapons may keep primary stats on them though.

Since these items will not have primary stats, they will not change based on your spec.

In addition to the secondary stats described above, non-armor can have Spirit and Bonus Armor.

Non-armor can also have augmentations, as described above.

The blog below talks a lot about "random properties" but in reality--most raid gear will continue to have predetermined secondary stats in WoD.

BlizzCon Gear Annoucements

The following wasn't covered in the gear blog, but was announced at BlizzCon and is relevant to itemization:

Reforging is going away.

Fewer items can be enchanted, and the goal is to have enchants feel like a bonus instead of something mandatory.

Meta gems and socket bonuses are removed. Many fewer items will have sockets in Warlords of Draenor.

The item squish is coming, but this will not affect players' ability to solo old raids or make players feel weak. It will not reduce the current power of relative players--Siege of Orgrimmar will suddenly not feel impossible when the item squish goes in. The item squish is to simply the combat log so abilities don't have tons of zeros.

Garrosh will be this expansion's final boss.Female pandaren were revealed.Eleven character slots will let everyone try out a monk.A new faction lets player have their own farms in-game. They will be able to manage livestock and more all the while gaining reputation. Other factions will offer other activities, from raising a serpent to become your mount to defending outposts for dailies.Cooking will have four specializations allowing for customized food.Prime glyphs have been removed and many new vanity glyphs have taken their place.The Lorewalkers will urge players to explore the world around them by providing cutscenes and rewards. They will help flesh out archaeology into a more rewarding profession.Monks had their auto attack added back in and were much more developed--see our monk section!Challenge modes will grant realm first achievements for ranked completion times, in addition to the already planned transmogrification rewards.Pet battles are WoW's first true minigame. They will not count losses, will be light-hearted and anonymous, and they will have everything mentioned at BlizzCon including rare varieties of existing pets.The Defense of the Ancients battleground concept was scrapped; world PvP objectives were added. Control areas of Pandaria to increase your faction's conquest point weekly cap.LFR will be available at level 90 for all fourteen boss encounters . They will be tweaking loot rules and more.The valor point system will be entirely revamped. Players will augment their gear and upgrade levels using them.

Pandaria Overview

Factions

This expansion, Blizzard wants factions in Mists of Pandaria to be more meaningful than just a bar that keeps growing. They're actively searching for ways to make them varied; taking the best experiences from their past expansions and also adding new ones. You will even be able to create your own farm with your own livestock, fields, and more to gain reputation for one of the factions.

Here are Mists of Pandaria's known factions:

Tillers and Anglers (Artisans): Located in the heartland of Pandaria, these will offer dailies in a 'farmer's market' type setting. A special perk when gaining reputation with the Tillers is your very own customizable farm. You will be able to acquire livestock, plant fields, and decorate your building as you gain reputation.August Celestials: Four ancestral spirits need your help in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms--Yu'lon the Jade Serpent, Xuen the White Tiger, Chi Ji the Red Crane, and Niuzao the Black Ox. Brewmasters: Wandering faction of brewers looking for exotic ingredients--one of the factions that will offer Scenarios (such as defending a brewery from attackers.)Golden Lotus: Tied to the August Celestials. Order of pandaren priests and fighters, but there aren't enough to fight off the Mogu. Each day, a different part of the valley is under attack and the daily quests will send you there. As you gain reputation, you will be sent further afield. At first, you won't be right on the frontlines--it will be a process of exploration and slowly gaining trust.Klaxxi: Rebel order of mantid lords who fear their queen has gone insane.Lorewalkers: Keepers of pandaren culture. Players who return artifacts from Pandaria will gain reputation and be treated to additional cut-scenes and lore content in their grand library.Order of the Cloud Serpent: Ancient order of flying warriors: will teach players how to train cloud serpent to become a mount (similar to Wintersaber grind) with enough reputation. Several colors of mounts to choose from. Training process will roughly be 20 days. Racetrack with spectators cheering you on will surround this area--you will train and gain reputation partially by navigating this course.Shado-Pan: Guardians against the Sha--very disciplined. Created by the last Pandaren emperor to protect the empire against both the Sha and the mantids. Must keep emotions in check--if they show fear, the Sha will get in and corrupt. Armor rewards are promised to look 'especially cool'--but not available to preview yet.

Zones

Although BlizzCon gave a good amount of information on Pandaria's zones, this press event showed us two new zones! These zones have completely new terrain, not just large zones split in half.

Even more exciting--world bosses are making a comeback in these zones, and they'll all drop unique mounts!

New Zones

Krasarang Wilds: Pandaria's southern shore--a coastal rainforest with grand M'ogu ruins. The M'ogu were the original rulers of Pandaria over 10,000 years ago and they really want their lands back. Part of the shore area looks unassuming, but it will be the location for future Alliance/Horde settlements in future patches.Dread Wastes: Ruled by the Sha of Fear--a mix of swamps and deserts.

Other Zones

Vale of Eternal Blossoms: This is the sacred heart of the Pandaria empire and the original seat of the Mogu empire. Ancient majestic temples are still intact--lots of gold scrollwork and epic buildings here. The Mogu are especially keen to control it again because they draw their power from sacred pools in the center of the zone. Alliance and Horde player hubs are located here--they are really ornate, putting Dalaran to shame. Lorewalkers, Gold Lotus, and Mogu'shan Palace are also located here.Kun-Lai Summit: Lowland plains, the home of the Yaungol, and high peaks, the home of the Shado-pan.Jade Forest: One of the level 85 questing zones, but also content players can do at level 90--training a Cloud Serpent mount. Players will meet the Jinyu and Hozen here, clashing in a terrible battle at the feet of a heroic ancestral dragon statue.Valley of the Four Winds: Heartland of Pandaria, with tons of farmland, as well as the legendary Stormstout Brewery. Chen Stormstout returns, happy to discover that the brewery was named in his honor, but he's dismayed at the trouble within. Decision was made to have the dungeon also be a building in the zone, so players could enter at earlier points while questing.

Bestiary

The conference gave us a little more insight to the bestiary of Mists of Pandaria. It sounds like they will be a memorable cast of both friends and foes.

Friendly

Cloud Serpents: Playful race of dragon-like creatures in a variety of striking cultures. While a handful have become corrupted, most are friends of the island and serve as companions to the Pandaren. Players who gain reputation with the Order of the Cloud Serpent can eventually obtain one as a mount.Hozen: From the press conference--"14 year old boys running around the jungle with Horde machine guns--but monkeys. Nothing can go wrong with this plan." The Horde chooses to ally themselves with this chaotic race of monkeys, which are the bane of the calm Jinyu. Jinyu: A peaceful race of freshwater amphibians the Alliance befriends. The pandaren look up to them as a wise, yet overly strict, race of Elders. The upper caste of Jinyu consists of Waterspeakers, who can place staves into the river to learn its secrets and clues about the future.Sprites: Pranksters and embodiments of nature. Many forest sprites’ pranks – disguising themselves as stools to trip people, or throwing fruit and nuts at wanderers – seem harmless, but some have been tainted by the Sha.Yaungol: A newly-discovered descendent of Tauren, similar to the Taunka in Northrend. When Pandaria broke up, they were stranded and eventually developed into a visually distinct sub-race. They've been forced out of Townlong Steppes by the Mantids and ferociously want their lands back.

Hostile

Mantid: Insect-like creatures that attack Pandaria whenever the new generation hatches. Very cunning both in solo and group combat. The Mogu built a huge wall as defense--thousands of years later, this still needs to be maintained.Mogu: Founded the first empire of Pandaria through brute force and war. They are also skilled flesh-shapers, using this ability to create new races to do their bidding. Overthrown once the pandaren learned unarmed combat--some of their epic temples still remain, in ruins scattered about the continent. They are currently scheming to retake the pandaren empire and mostly reside in the Krasarang Wilds.Saurok: A lizard-like race first created by Mogu flesh-shapers to be smart enough to fight well, but not function beyond that. Some escaped and eventually developed into a fully-functioning race.Sha: Lethal dark energy--absorbs hateful emotions and easily corrupts those who are unsuspecting. Negative emotions in a physical form. Of course, the Alliance and Horde escalating conflicts on Pandaria lead to even more Sha.Virmen: A race of "evil crazy bunnies." They're a real problem for the pandaren, because they'll eat everything. Blizzard seems to have had some fun with their abilities--a boss virmen, Hoptallus, has Furwind for an AOE and Carrot Breath for a conal effect. Trash virmen in instances carry hammers that players can pick up for more damage.

Lore

Everyone has been wondering since BlizzCon what the lore differences will be between Alliance and Horde pandaren--well, now we know!

We also learned that Garrosh will become the overarching villian of this expansion as he grows hungry and out of control. Mists of Pandaria's final patch will focus on taking him down, as all races unite to end his reign.

Alliance & Horde

The boxed product is intended to be an adventure without a supervillian. For example, in Wrath, everyone knew they'd fight Arthas just from looking on the box. Mists is meant to be more of a vanilla model, where players are meant to engage with new cultures and factions.Fleets will arrive and claim Pandaria's southern shores, as the mists mysteriously part after thousands of years and the ships went off course, thanks to Garrosh's naval warfare. The Alliance and Horde will react to the clash, summoning forces for counter attacks.The lightness and serenity of Pandaria are meant to be a contrast to the warfare to come--it will be a setting for tragedy and heroics. In later patches, fortress will be built in otherwise peaceful areas.All the new fighting on Pandaria unleashes the full wrath of the Sha, a force that feeds upon negative energy. In addition, the strengthened Sha will infect the mantids, making their annual swarm even more potent than usual. Meanwhile, the ferocious Mogu will reunite with the Zandalari, their old friends, in an attempt to reclaim their kingdom.As patches progress, the Alliance and Horde decide that Garrosh is a menace, growing even more power-hungry with each development. The final patch will be the Siege of Orgrimmar, where everyone unites to take him down.

Pandaren Faction Differences

Pandaren that join the Alliance and the Horde are considered to be very rare--they're a subset of the already-rare group that's decided to explore and live on The Wandering Isle. Most Pandaren remain neutral and isolated on the main continent. Pandaren that pick a faction do so knowing that isolate them from their previous world and family.Pandaren live in the moment--while they're reclusive, everything they do is whole-hearted and intense, from farming to drinking to sleeping. They prefer meditation to combat--when they do fight, it's with their whole body. They are careful to show negative emotions, as that quite literally can summon a physical enemy.Alliance Pandaren follow the path of the Tushui, focusing on justice and morality. Their leader is Aysa Cloudsinger, who firmly believes success in any endeavor never justifies immoral deeds.Horde Pandaren follow the path of the Houjin, which are impulsive and pracical. Ji Firepaw is the leader, believing it's honorable to defend home and family no matter the cost.Before Mists, interactions with the Alliance and Horde were very rare. Chen Stormstout is one of the most famous explorers, taking part in epic events such as the Liberation of Theramore while always on the move for exotic brewing ingredients. He's back in Mists on the Pandaren mainland, investigating the problems behind his brewery.

New Content

Professions

With the prime glyph category removed, scribes are getting tons of new glyphs for vanity purposes to make up for the loss. From being able to turn into an Orca as a druid to a paladin's mount changing cosmetically, there are tons of glyphs and we have a small preview of them--expect many more to come!

Unfortunately, not too many other professions were covered yet.

General Changes

Archaeology: There will be many new artifacts to discover in Pandaria, and the new Lorewalker faction will allow you to learn about the Pandaren's culture in-depth--should make Archaeology feel like less of an impersonal grind. Players will present an artifact to the Lorewalkers in their grand library, and they'll be treated to a presentation on the library's stage. As for the existing races and artifacts, there are plans to tie the Lorewalkers into discovering these artifacts as well.Cooking: Four specializations will be added for foods with distinctive stats. Dedicated players can learn all specializations for additional achievements.Inscription: The Prime Glyph category is now removed. There will be more of an emphasis on cosmetic glyphs in the minor slots.

New Glyphs

Here's a list of some of the new glyphs we found at the press conference:Glyph of Stars: Moonkin Form ability is replaced with Astral Form, conferring all the same benefits, but now appearing as an astrally enchanted version of your normal humanoid form.Glyph of the Chameleon: Each time you shapeshift into Cat Form or Bear Form, your shapeshifted form will have a random hair color.Glyph of the Orca: Your Aquatic Form now appears as an Orca.Glyph of the Stag: Your Travel Form now appears as a Stag and can be used as a mount by party members.Glyph of the Treant: Allows you to shapeshift into Treant Form. The act of shapeshifting frees the caster of movement slowing effects.The Moonbeast: You can now cast Healing Touch, Rejuvenation, and Tranquility without canceling Moonkin Form.Glyph of Righteous Retreat: During Divine Shield, you can invoke your Hearthstone 50% faster.Glyph of the Falling Avenger: You slow fall during Avenging Wrath.Glyph of Bladed Judgement: Your Judgement spell depicts an axe or sword instead of a hammer, if you have an axe or sword equipped.Glyph of Winged Vengence: You grow larger during Avenging Wrath.Glyph of Mounted Kings: Mounting a paladin mount automatically casts Blessing of Kings on you.Glyph of the Luminous Charger: Your paladin class mounts glow with Holy Light.Glyph of Fire From the Heavens: Your Judgment and Hammer of Wrath critical strikes call down fire from the sky.Glyph of Ice Lance: Your Ice Lance now hits 1 additional target for 50% damage.Glyph of Counterspell: Your Counterspell can now be cast while casting or channeling other spells, but its cooldown is increased by 4 sec.

PvP

Blizzard originally proposed three new battlegrounds at BlizzCon, but has trimmed it down to two for Mists of Pandaria's release.

They are also trying to revisit world PvP to make the world more alive. The more locations players fight on and win for their faction, the more conquest points their weekly cap will allow.

Temple of Mogu: Located in the middle of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, players vie to pick up and control an ancient artifact. This artifact gives the player a damage buff but also increases damage taken--the goal is to have the artifact constantly changing hands. Another twist is that different parts of the map award varying amounts of resources--holding onto the artifact in a risky area of the terrain will yield more resources per minute. This is intended to be a fast-paced BG in a new style from previous ones.Silver Shard Mine: Underground area with mineral-rich resources that travel in mine cars. These mine cars are capture points--think of EotS, but moving. The Alliance and Horde want to capture these mine cars before they get to the depot, and at various points on the rails, there are splits where the mine cars can go either way. Depending on who controls channel points, the cart can travel different ways.World PvP: Conquest point cap will increase as players win world objectives. For example, personally conquering Southshore and Tarren Mill back in the day would have been great for this dynamic.

Challenge Modes

Challenge modes remain similar to what BlizzCon said about them. However, they have hinted to having realm first achievements tied to them. It's possible this will be scrapped, but if it remains, expect a lot of controversy--and competition!

There are three levels of rewards:Bronze: Achievements.Silver: Special transmog armor--example was gilded rogue armor with asymmetrical dragon shoulders.Gold: Access to a mount with unique look.Once players have beaten all the gold achievements, they have access to a realm leaderboard.Challenge-mode leaderboards allow players to filter by instance, time, and by guild.Inspiration for challenge modes: timed Stratholme runs and the original Zul'Aman run for the Amani War Bear.Intended to be competitive PvE without confrontation, and a way to foster community within guilds.Player's UI will show medal tabulation, record times, rewards, and how much time mid-run until you hit the next bracket.Several achievements for Challenge Modes were available on press servers. There were achievements at all levels for completing the instance, as well as 'Full' achievements for obtaining a medal in every instance. There were also Realm Firsts for Gold and Full Silver challenges (subject to change).

Scenarios

Scenarios are Blizzard's answer to dynamic questing that has been cropping up in many newer MMORPGs. It also replaces group questing. They will reward players with Valor Points.

Scenarios allow you to quest in a controlled location--meaning various groups won't be competing in a crowded area for objectives.All factions will have associated scenarios.Sample scenario shown: players are tasked to help a Brewmaster find a spice that's only useful when it rains. At first, players save some villages and buildings. You then help the Brewmaster create the lager as it's raining, while she's besieged by Sauroc. In the final phase, you defend the brewery while putting out fires--a giant Sauroc with a huge sword is trying to destroy the building.Fights have a different feel than an instance that requires a tank and a healer--with all dps it's quick and unpredictably chaotic.A "Scenario Finder" similar to the Dungeon Finder and Raid Finder will let players find groups easily. Queue times are expected to be low as there are no class requirements.Completing scenarios will reward players with Valor Points and gear.

Pet Battles

We've heard a lot about pet battles and there's been a lot of hype in the community. As luck would have it, they are going well as planned. We got further clarification about how the system will function at tthe press event.

Purely optional activity, but WoW's first mini-game, a turn-based combat system.Over 100 wild pets--some with special quirks. For example, some can be found only between 9pm-midnight, others only in the rain. TCG and Blizzard Store pets will work as well.Players can customize pets by giving them names.Pets will have the following stats: Attack, Defense, Movement Speed, Health.As pets skill up, they will eventually unlock 6 different abilities. Three of these abilities will be chosen by the player for each pet battle.Pets can fight against critters and specific NPCs that have pets for practice.Pet Journal will include a list of current and unobtained pets, pet-specific achievements, and stats.Sample pet battle presented at the Press Tour showed Arthas vs Illidan fighting with three pets each. (Illidan won.) The battle was fairly quick, and impersonal--no opportunity for players to chat or learn the other's name.These decisions are intended to cut down on trash talking and 'the sting of defeat' after a match--problems that dissuade some players from entering into PvP.Losses will not be tabulated.Pets can be swapped out in battle for tactical advantages--some pets are natural counters against others.Pet battles are meant to be light-hearted and quick.

Questing

Blizzard is hoping to achieve different questing and fix what went wrong with Cataclysm's linearity. They also are changing how quest achievements work.

Achievements

Quest achievements will track progress by story lines, not by number of quests completed. One achievement was available:Walk the Land: Complete the following shorelines in the Valley of the Four Winds: Thunderfoot Farms Chen's Masterpiece Zhu's Bastion New Taurajo The Hidden Master The Salvation of Stoneplow Mudmug's Place The Stormstout Brewery The Crane Temple Farwalker Refuge Nesingwary's Safari

The Jade Forest

We got to preview one zone, the Jade Forest, and see these new quests in action.

There's a return to non-linear questing in Mists of Pandaria, as well as a wider array of daily quests available to choose from.The non-linear model was instantly apparent in The Jade Forest--it was possible to have up to 10 quests at the same time.Goal of Pandaria zones is to have less-linear questing. Players aren't expected to complete all questlines when leveling for the first time, but it will be less repetitive on alts.Initial quest rewards were ilvl 372 and ilvl 384, but not every quest rewards gear. Artwork for these quest items still in progress.New common-quality drops from mobs included Windwool Cloth (possibly new tailoring cloth), Four Wind Soju (a weak alcoholic beverage), and Boiled Silkworm Pupa (restores 100k health).The very first series of Horde quests sent the player salvaging a crashed airship, rescuing survivors, and putting the dead to rest. Finding each survivor opened up numerous other quest chains.New takes on familiar quests--there's a really fun bombing quest where the player flies on a box and acid bombs enemies in the jungle.Another quest chain teaches the player how to meditate and introduces pandaren beliefs and history. The player meets with Sage Speaker-Cho at four Carins, gradually learning how to remain calm and meditate, instead of getting distracted or taking a nap. Players get a meditation bar and have to use focus and relaxation buttons to keep the bar balanced at 50%.Other quests address how the way of the Pandaren is different from the Alliance and Horde. One quest tells you to kill crocodiles that are trapping the Hozu--even though a gesture of kindness and dividend later is not the traditional way of the Horde.

Class Changes

Monks now use energy in Brewmaster and Windwalker specs, and mana in Mistweaver.Chi is now simply light energy--Dark Chi has been removed.Monks are intended to be a class where abilities are quickly used--instead of saving up Chi, players are encouraged to use abilities that only cost 1 or 2 Chi, unlike a rogue that would save 5 combo points for Eviscerate.Their racials remained unchanged, but their talents and specializations were able to be previewed for the first time.Monks were given very detailed and unique animations, even in melee. One ability encases the monk in a green bubble with runes, and then levitates them.

Lore Updates

Monks initially were those who brought hope to the oppressed Pandaren under Mogu rule through song and stories. Weapons were forbidden among slaves, so the Monks taught their fellow Pandaren how to fight by harnessing positive energy, or Chi. When the opportunity for revolution struck, they were well-trained to take control.Pandaren get a cutscene with the Alliance and the Horde, showing the current situation and the personality of their faction leader.Horde: Garrosh is berserk that he's missing a fleet of ships, after using the floor in front of his throne to show animated versions of naval battles he's instigated and won against the Alliance. There were major victories off the coast of Tanaris and Tol Barad, with a supply root to Booty Bay established. He ends up strangling a goblin who brings him news of Alliance counter-attacks and reveals that a ship has been lost. He ignores advice to focus on the future instead of the past, and demands payment of debts from realms in his power. This clearly sets the stage for how Garrosh will spiral out of control later.Alliance: The Alliance scene is more subdued, taking place in Varian's war room. The generals calmly analyze the situation and decide to try to rescue their survivors and cargo. The cutscene ends with an epic shot of your character flying over the sea on an Alliance airplane.

Level 45

Charging Ox Wave 1 Chi 40 yd range Instant A mighty Ox effigy rushes towards the target, stunning all enemies within its path for 3 sec. When the Ox reaches the enemy, they and all nearby enemies within 0 yards are knocked back a short distance.

Level 60

Beguile: When attacked, your movement speed is increased by 3% and you cause all nearby enemies to move at 3% reduced speed within 8 yards. This effect can stack up to 6 times. Being attacked from behind causes two stacks of Beguile to be generated instead of one.

While its traveling, you can discharge the Sphere, dealing x damage/healing to all targets at its current location and reducing/increasing all targets movement speed by 70% for 3 sec, but canceling the Sphere.

Level 90

Ring of Peace Instant 2 min cooldown Forms a sanctuary around you, causing all enemies to be unable to attack or cast harmful spells while within it. Lasts 10 sec.

Rushing Jade Wind 40 yd range Instant 2 min cooldown You encase the friendly or enemy target in a whirling jade tornado, becoming immune to all damage and healing and traveling at a quick speed in a distance in front of you.

Chi Cocoon Channeled 2 min cooldown You encase the friendly or enemy target in a cocoon, shielding them from all outside damage and healing and causing them unable to attack.

Deals x damage to enemies and y healing to allies every 1 sec for 8 sec.

You attempt to disable the target's movement, reducing their movement speed by 25%. Stacks up to 2 times.

If you use Disable a third time on a target while they have 2 stacks, all stacks will be consumed and they will be rooted for 8 sec.

Expel Harm 400 mana Melee Range Instant cast 15 sec cooldown Instantly heals the target for 11,421 and causes 100% of the amount healed to instantly be dealt to a nearby enemy as damage within 5 yards of the target.

Depending on the quality of the weapon, your damage done, healing done, and damage reduction may be increased.

Healing Sphere 300 Mana 40 yd range. 1.46 sec cast You form a Healing Sphere out of healing mists at the target location for 30 sec. If allies walk through it, they consume the sphere, healing themselves for 4,010.

Maximum of 3 Healing Spheres can be active by the Monk at any give time.

Legacy of the Emperor 40 yd range Instant You extol the words of the last emperor, increasing Strength, Agility, and Intellect by 5%.

If target is in your party or raid, all party and raid members will be affected.

Meditation Channeled 3 min cooldown Reduces all damage taken by 99% and redirects to you all harmful spells cast against your allies within 30 yards. Lasts 10 sec.

Being the victim of a melee attack will break your meditation, canceling the effect.

Paralysis Melee Range Instant 15 sec cooldown You cause the targets muscles to contract, incapacitating them for 30 sec. If done from behind the target, the duration is doubled. Only one target can be victim to Paralysis at any given time.

Any damage taken will cancel the effect.

Provoke 40 yd range Instant 8 sec cooldown

You mock the target, causing them to rush towards to attack you an increased 50% movement speed.

If targeting your Statue of the Black Ox, you Provoke all enemies within an 8 yard radius of your statue.

Resuscitate 40 yd range 9.74 sec cast Returns the spirit to the body, restoring a dead target to life with 35% of maximum health and mana. Cannot be cast when in combat.

Cast time reduced by 50% if target is in melee range.

Roll 50 Energy Roll a short distance.

Spear Hand 30 Energy Melee Range Instant 30 sec cooldown Requires Ox Stance, Tiger Stance You jab the target in the throat, interrupting their spell cast and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 5 sec.

If the enemy is facing you when cast, they are also silenced out of all schools for 5 sec.

Spinning Crane Kick: You spin while kicking in the air, dealing Physical damage every 1 sec, to all nearby enemies within 8 yards. Movement speed is reduced by 30%. Lasts 6 sec.

Only usable on non-player targets who have equal or less health than you.

Brewmaster

A sturdy brawler who uses liquid fortification and unpredictable movement to avoid damage and protect allies.

Avert Harm Available Level 48 15 yd range Instant 1 min cooldown Requires Ox Stance You reduce the damage taken by all nearby friendly targets with in 10 yards by 20% and cause half of all remaining damage they take to be re-directed to you. Lasts for 15 sec.

Leer of the Ox Available Level 24 Instant 20 sec cooldown Requires Ox Stance Your Ox Statue stirs hatred in the target, reducing their movement speed by 50% and causing them to attack the statue for 8 sec. The statue must be within 40 yards of the target.

Requires Statue of the Ox to be active.

Mastery: Drunken Brawler Available Level 80 Reduces the damage taken by Stagger by 11.4% and increase the effect of your Guard by 11.4%.

Each point of Mastery reduces the Stagger damage taken by an additional 1.1%, and increases the amount you Guard by an additional 1.1%.

The Black Ox Statue interacts with your Provoke and Leer of the Ox abilities.

Guard (On-Click Effect) Allies can right-click the Statue to gain the Guard effect, absorbing 128256 damage. Any healing done by the Monk is increased by 30% while Guard is active. Guard has a 10 charges.

If cast while channeling Soothing Mists, Surging Mists will be instant cast and heal that target over all others.

Stance of the Wise Serpent Available Level 10 Increases healing done by 20% and replaces your Chi resource to Mana.

Any ability which costs Chi will now cost Mana instead.

Teachings of the Monastery Available Level 72 You become adept in the ways of the Mistweave, amplifying three of your abilities.Surging Mist: When you Jab or Expel Harm, the cast time of your next Surging Mist is reduced by 50%. Stacks up to 2 times. Lasts 12 sec.

Expel Harm: Expel Harm no longer has a cooldown.

Spinning Crane Kick: When you deal damage with Spinning Crane Kick while in Stance of the Wise Serpent, you heal nearby allies equal to 100% of the damage done.

Flying Serpent Kick Available Level 18 Instant 25 sec cooldown Soar through the air forwards at an increased speed.

While traveling, use Flying Serpent Kick again to land yourself, dealing 300 damage to all enemies within 8 yards, and slowing them by 70% for 4 sec.

Legacy of the White Tiger Available Level 66 40 yd range Instant You honor the White Tiger's legacy, increasing mastery by 5. If target is in your party or raid, all party and raid members will be affected.

Mastery: Combo Breaker Grants a 13% chance for Jab to cause your next Tiger Palm to cost no force, or your next Blackout Kick to cost no force and be usable on targets regardless of their health percentage. Each point of Mastery increases the chance by an additional 1.4%

Muscle Memory Available Level 72 Your fighting technique improves over time during combat. Anytime you Jab a target from behind, your chance to critically hit with Jab increase by 1% for 30 sec. This effect can stack up to 100 times.

Sparring Available Level 42 Requires Ox Stance, Tiger Stance When you are attacked by a melee enemy in front of you begin to spar their attacks, increasing your chance to parry by 5% for 10 sec. This effect has a 30 sec cooldown.

When you attack them back, Sparring is amplified by an additional 5%. Stacks up to 3 times.

Dungeons and Raids

General Changes

We found out some big details in our interviews. LFR will be available at level 90, but it will be reworked; valor points are changing; and the tier system may be reworked.

First tier of Pandaria raiding will have 14 bosses, available on LFR, Normal, and Heroic difficulty.LFR looting will be reworked--individual-based rolls like in Diablo. Completing additional objectives in WoW--such as a number of daily quests--will give players a buff allowing them an additional roll (that does not impact other players).Valor Points are completely reworked. They are no longer a currency for actual items, but something you use to (repeatedly) augment the ilvl of your gear. Details are still being worked out as to how many times players can bump up the ilvl, or what happens when players hold onto an ancient item for the stat combinations.Monks will not share tier on Vanquisher tokens. In fact, the tier system may be completely revamped still.Scarlet Monastery and Scholomance are intended to be quick instances that keep their character but remove their less-favorable components. Surrounding zones will not receive quest and lore updates--it just seemed logical to update these because players always loved them.

Achievements

As you'd expect, it looks like mounts and 5-man achievements will be in-game at the expansion's launch.

In addition, most titles from achievements will be BoA--your alts can wear titles once they reach the minimum level needed to kill the boss/acquire the achievement. However, realm-first titles will probably not be BoA.

Show Me Your Moves!: Defeat the terra-cotta army in Mogu'shan Vaults on normal or heroic difficulty without any member of the raid being hit by Devastating Arc, Stomp or Energizing Smash.

The Obvious Solution: Eliminate the remaining Sha imprisoned in the Sealed Chambers and then defeat the Sha of Violence in Shado-pan Monastery on Heroic Difficulty.

Hate Leads to Suffering: Defeat Taran Zhu while every party member is at maximum hatred in Shado-pan Monastery in Heroic Difficulty.

Glintrok N'Roll: Defeat Gekkan and his Glintrok entourage in Mogu'shan Palace on Heroic difficulty within 5 minutes of being spotted by the Glintrok Scout.

Scholomance

Scholomance was talked about at length during the event. It's obvious they want to give it the Deadmines treatment, but avoid the disappointment many fans felt when they remade other instances such as Zul'Gurub.

Goal of Scholomance is to keep the flavor of old instances while removing weaker sections.Updates are clear from the start in animated heads that appear on the wall, with eyes that follow you.Layout was strengthened: for example, everyone skipped the first room, so now its a focal point with a boss.The central classroom was updated to have more benches, classrooms, candles, and creepy pictures--feels like a classroom instead of empty space.Jancice Barov keeps her flavor and numerous shades, but her trash is less lethal with the toxic clouds, and it's easier to see around corners.Similarly, the early room with the skeletons summoned from piles keeps that mechanic--but instead of trash packs, it's more interesting. Lillian Voss is fighting Darkmaster Gandling as skeletons spawn.Darkmaster Gandling is still the final boss, but he's "really into fire now." Fire spins around the entire central room on both floors. The mini-bosses weren't previewed, but in fighting Gandling, you'll be ported to various rooms like you were in the original fight.Intended to be more focused and quicker experience than the original dungeon.

Stormstout Brewery

Stormsout Brewery will be a light-hearted 5-man where players fight hozen (monkeys) that have broken into the brewery. Notably, there are several interactive items that you can pick up and equip to add flavor to the instance.

The hozen have invaded the brewery and are extremely drunk. Some are asleep and some are fighting because "monkey knife fights are amazing."For the initial trash and rooms, players have to break up the party--tapping kegs, blowing up brews. There's fireworks, bouncers, and hone with party hats. After players clear enough of the room, the first boss encounter starts.The second segment focuses on the virmen. The trash drop hammers, which players can pick up and equip for fun animations and more damage. The boss here is Hoptallus, a gigantic evil bunny with themed abilities.In the last section, you fight angry beer spirits that have come to life as beer elementals--sudsy, bubbling, etc. The final boss is a very upset spirit--Zany the Uncasked.

Temple of the Jade Serpent

Lore from Tankspot and Krelumian were able to run most of the Temple of the Jade Serpent--it seemed pretty cool watching them across the room! This instance was a shrine built for the last emperor, who defeated the Shaw ("similar to the slime from Ghostbusters 2") and bound them until heretic pandaren set them free to feed on emotions.

The first boss is surrounded by pools of water in a circular drainage and irrigation pattern.

In the first phase, the boss will periodically blow up random pools.

The second phase is mostly a tank and spank. There is a beam-style spout and the water ignites.

The second boss has three stances.

Fire Stance: AoE, sends waves of fire around the room.

Jade Stance: AoE, waves of fire now leave lingering trails.

Jade Dragon Stance: Fire breath ignites floor under players.

Another boss places a dot on the player which can be dispelled. It also summons shades which link to the player--when their energy bar hits full, it detonates and will heal the boss/damage the player.

There was another boss that seemed pretty tricky--it AoEd the party for a ton of damage and had an uninterruptible nasty ability.

Put on your tinfoil hats--it looks like an April Fools' joke may become a reality. Last week, Blizzard filed for a trademark for "Mists of Pandaria" under computer software. This is a common practice for the registration of expansion titles; for example, the Cataclysm was filed for trademark on June 26, 2009 and its domain was bought subsequently. Similarly, a Pandaria domain was also purchased last week.

This means that it's possible that the next expansion will be announced at BlizzCon and that it will be Mists of Pandaria.

Let the speculation run wild--what do you guys think? Is this our future expansion or a false alarm? Will the pandarens be a playable race for both sides, a neutral faction even though Blizzard has said that they like factions to be identifiable and distinct for horde and alliance? Or maybe their role will be more of a lore one, focusing on them as quest hubs and a central conflict?

Inscription - The following reagents no longer have limits and are now available from Una Kobuna and Casandra Downs in unlimited quantities: Deathwing Scale Fragment, Scavenged Dragon Horn, Bleached Jawbone, Silver Charm Bracelet, and Preserved Ogre Eye.

Following last week's Cataclysm Mount Guide and our pre-Cataclysm guide to The Shattering companion pets, I've put together a detailed guide to all of the new Cataclysm companion pets! Find out which professions can craft pets, get lucky with archaeology and get your entire guild together to slaughter thousands of critters! What fun!

Check out the fully detailed guide, including a list of all of the new companion pets and detailed information on how to get them, after the break!

Just the latest news from the world of Blizzard, including a small batch of Cataclysm hotfixes, veiled details about Blizzard's new MMO, tips on surviving Heroics and more!

Notable Cataclysm hotfixes include:

The search radius to find an Archaeology node from the Archaeology ability Survey has been increased. This will result in fewer searches needed while in the "green" range of surveying.

Chakra is no longer consumed by a Prayer of Mending bounce.

Several shirts have been corrected so they no longer cause a player's item level to increase. They are item level 1.

In addition, another, undocumented hotfix was recently applied which will make it so that players without an appropriate crafting profession of 425 or higher will no longer be able to 'Need' roll on Chaos Orb! This should be a welcome change for any users with the profession, however I still say that making them BOP was silly in the first place. But meh, we're probably just a few patches away from a change on that - and by then, it won't matter.

A hotfix was applied about an hour ago that changes it so Chaos Orbs will only be available for Need rolls by characters with Tailoring, Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, and Engineering (minimum skill of 425 required). This fix may not appear until the next time realms are restarted, which is likely to be early tomorrow morning.

Check out the full post for all the latest hotfixes, blue posts and more!